You Can Be Damned Sure We'll Avenge it
by YourGuardianAngel08
Summary: Spoilers Ahead for Infinity War... Tony Stark was good at many things, could understand nearly anything put in front of him but as he sat on the ground of that godforsaken planet, he could not force himself to comprehend anything. This is the fallout from Thanos's decision to end the lives of half the universe and the reality for one of the Avengers. Tony-centric
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so I have been chipping away at this since I saw Infinity War. And it has turned out to be one of those lovely pieces that are both cathartic and wonderfully stressful at the same time so I wanted to share it with you.**

 **I'm thinking its probably going to be somewhere around a three chapter story but I'm still working and adding so it could be a bit longer. Please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy!**

 **-Lily**

* * *

Tony Stark was good at many things, could understand nearly anything put in front of him but as he sat on the ground of that godforsaken planet, he could not force himself to comprehend anything. Not the increasingly throbbing wound to his side. Not the taste of blood on his lips. Not the smell of iron in the air. He could not understand the dust that coated his blood-stained hands. And for the life of him, he could not understand why he would not do what he normally did and brush it off. But he did not care, he reveled in his inability to comprehend even the most basic things. Since there was one thing whispering at the back of his mind, one thing he did understand because it was more fundamental than any of the other physical realities, it was an instinctual wound, a soul searing reality and it was the one thing he could not afford to comprehend.

But as was his fate, the longer he sat, the clearer his mind became. The pain of the physical wound built in the background, the feeling of tearing tendons and muscle a common feeling for the superhero laid low. The taste of blood made sense, the metallic tang hung in his mouth as the injuries of the fight caught up with him. Even the iron swirling in the air began to make sense again, everyone had been injured. The one thing that he still could not comprehend was the dust that coated his blood-stained hands. And while the reality that had created that dust made no sense, the shear pain and heartbreak that went along with it were beyond anything Tony had ever felt, driving home how real it was. His eyes were finally drawn away from the broken and burned landscape to the dust on his fingers, all that remained of Pete. When his mind finally allowed that connection, Tony felt the tears start to well in his eyes. They were dead. All of the people he had gone to the planet with were dead. Quill. Drax. Mantis. Strange. And…Pete. The kid, his kid, the person who should have never been there in the first place but the only reason they had gotten anywhere with Thanos. _Peter is dead_. The one invading thought his mind kept him from reconciling slammed into him with all the clarity and agony of Cap's thrown shield. Tony ducked his head into his hands as the sentence continued to spin through his mind, _Peter is dead_. The mantra gained momentum in his quickly adjusting mind, his normal ability to understand twisting a knife that Strange's offering had not been able remove. The tears began to course down his face, clearing the dust and dirt that had stuck to his sweat-soaked skin and he forced his head even farther into his clasped hands, squeezing his eyes closed. A small part of his mind telling him that if he shut them long and hard enough he would wake up from this nightmare.

He did not know how long he sat with his hands clasp to his lips but an insistent humming in the background forced him to open his heavy eyes. As the torn, ruined landscape assaulted his senses, a part of him, not a small part, wished his injury would kill him. Unfortunately, his labored breath continued and his broken heart persistently kept beating. Instead that humming morphed into something akin to the English language as Tony realized he was not actually alone. The blue alien woman was talking, to him or to the landscape he was not sure because he truly did not care. _Peter is dead._ She apparently finished some thought because her cold, black eyes were fixed on his face. He tried to remember anything she had said but it had been background din compared to the mantra that was burning its way through his mind, _Peter is dead_. He realized she must have said something but he could not find it in him to respond. His eyes squeezed closed as he savored the increasingly painful burn of his wound, a welcome punishment for his failure.

Then suddenly someone was gripping his arms and shouting. Apparently, the blue woman had gotten frustrated with this lack of engagement. Instinctually, Tony's eyes flew open as he violently pulled away from her grasp, but as soon as he was looking at her again, she let him go. She apparently took that as her opportunity to begin talking again and now that he was looking at her, some of it made sense, well a few words made it through anyway, "…should leave."

"What?" His voice sounded foreign. It was rough, ragged, like he had screamed himself hoarse but he had not said a word. Not even to Pete. God what had he said to him? Tony tried to kick his mind into gear and it gladly agreed. As that moment slammed into him again, he realized he had told the kid he was alright. A frightened fifteen year old kid that he had dragged along with him had been begging him for help, begging him to save him and he did what? He stood there and tried to tell him he was fine, only helping after the kid had already stumbled forward into his grasp. He could not even say anything as Peter apologized. As his mind replayed the scene, his utter weakness and the pathetic nature of his response was laid bare. His heart sped up, slamming against his battered rib cage in a desperate attempt to honor his death wish. All the while, his lungs squeezed closed, denying him the oxygen he needed to keep breathing. As he spiraled into this nightmarish reality, he could not help but wish he would plunge farther. Maybe if he died he could tell Pete he had nothing to apologize for.

A sharp cracked echoed across the plains of Titan as Tony was denied his wish. As the pain of a smack vibrated his teeth and bruised his cheek, his mind was forced into sharp focus as the black eyes held his, the blue woman's teeth were bared as she snarled at him, "Human," she demanded. At her words, Tony finally latched on. He could not respond but he actively looked at her for the first time.

When she seemed satisfied he was somewhat coherent, she continued, for what he assumed was a second or third time, "We need to leave here. I can pilot Quill's ship."

Tony felt himself nod automatically, the thought of escaping this place a comfort but he did not move, simply sat where he was, watching her walk away. He realized she probably expected him to follow as she charged off into an indeterminate direction, but his legs were not really obeying his commands at the moment.

Nebula realized the human was not following her. Huffing to herself, she turned and stalked back to him, unsure why she cared. Brushing the thought aside, she forced him to stand and helped him limp heavily to the ship. The human did not protest, did not say a word but allowed her to lay him down on the medical bed in the back of the ship. Realizing that he probably would not rest on his own but he could use it, she dug through Quill's meager supplies to find something like a tranquilizer. The man barely flinched when she released the pressurized needle into his leg. She stood over him for a few moments as his eyes slipped closed before stepping over to the captain's seat of the ship. Nebula could not avoid the snap of pain that coursed through her when she thought about what Quill would say if he saw her piloting his precious ship. Still, she had other things to attend to, like dropping the human off before dealing with the monster who had killed her sister. Quickly pulling up the map, Nebula programed in the coordinates to Earth before settling in and planning her next move. She needed to figure out where Thanos went and hopefully Earth held some of those answers.

* * *

A few hours later, she was shaken out of her wandering thoughts by a scream that tore through the cabin. Nebula snapped out of her seat, more caught of guard by the sound than she wanted to admit even to herself. Stepping cautiously forward, she crept up the steps to where she had left the man. As he came into view, she could tell immediately he was awake. His eyes were darting back and forth, his body held rigidly tense in a way that almost seemed more painful when she thought about the wound on his side. Still he did not seem to register her presence but as she stepped closer, a few of the pieces of armor moved around his body fluidly, reforming on his hands, crawling up his neck, and forming over his chest. _The vulnerable parts of a human_ , Nebula caught herself assessing. However, she had seen how dangerous whatever those weapons were and she did not particularly feel like being blasted into space, so she addressed him instead, "Human. Stop." The command rung through the quiet ship as the man's eyes snapped to her, suddenly aware of her presence, "You're safe here, for now."

"Where is here?" Tony's voice was deeper than he remembered, weaker.

Nebula was surprised when he finally talked. There was no fight, none of the confidence she had expected from the man who had fought so viciously against Thanos. This man sounded broken, and some hidden source of compassion forced her to respond, "Quill's ship. I'm taking you back to Earth and then I'm going to kill Thanos. We will arrive in a few hours."

Tony allowed himself to relax a bit, forcing the visions from his nightmare into the overflowing box where he crammed all the terrible things he had done. Now was a time to focus, now was a time for revenge but first he needed to understand what had happened. Setting the nanobots to fixing the armor, Tony forced himself into a sitting position, breathing heavily passed the pain that radiated up his side at the stab wound that, unsurprisingly, was not yet healed. He watched the alien woman step forward like she wanted to say something but thought better of it as he gingerly set his feet on the floor and pushed himself off the bed. His arm was pressed into his side and the wound burned but a new determination filled his mind. Looking up at the blue woman, he asked the only thing that mattered, "What the hell happened?" He had to press the mantra, _Peter is dead_ into that nightmare box as well. Repeating he was dead did not bring him back.

Nebula could not help but frown at this human's persistence, it was impressive for one so weak, still she shrugged as she explained, "Thanos finished his mission. The mission he has been trying to complete since the day his planet fell into the ruin and rubble you saw back there." She paused as if she expected the man next to her to say something.

Tony tried to wrap his head around what she just said, "What mission? What the hell did he do?" She looked at him with all the patience of a mother attempting to explain a concept to a child who just kept asking the same question repeatedly, like he should know what happened. It just frustrated him.

She answered his question with one of her own, a snarky quip that spoke to her own impatience, "If you don't know, why were you fighting him?"

"He came to Earth, kidnapped a wizard, destroyed some stuff, and wanted a stone. It seemed like the thing to do at the time but you did not answer my question, what did he do? Why did everyone else turn to dust and we're sitting here having this inane conversation?" The anger in his tone rose as he tried to get the answers he desperately needed.

"He destroyed half the universe." She explained simply, like that should somehow clear up any confusion.

He understood the words, realized that they worked in a sentence but he could not comprehend them, "I'm sorry, what? What do you mean he destroyed half the universe?"

She rolled her eyes, looking down at the floor as she physically gathered enough patience to answer the question, "For as long as I have known him, his goal has been to bring balance to the universe. To end the suffering of those who do not have access to what they needed in order to live productive lives because creatures are selfish and too greedy to share the finite number of resources that exist. His solution was to end the suffering by impartial means, ending the lives of half of the population in the universe. In his mind, that would bring the balance that would let everyone who was left survive."

Tony could not help the bug-eyed expression on his face, he was trying to reconcile what she had just told him and not vomit on the floor of the ship, "How?"

That was a new question, Nebula rolled her eyes but did not seem to need the same fortification to answer that question, "He must have found the last stone he needed, I'm guessing it was on Earth. As soon as he did that, a snap would have been all he needed to finished his life's work." She spat the last phrase, intending it to sound as sardonic as she could. Nebula watched as the man numbly stumbled forward into the chair behind the captain's chair and he slumped down into the seat. Shrugging more to herself than to the human who could obviously not see her, she took up Quill's seat again, content to sit silently if that is what the man wanted. It did not matter to her.

Tony could not even begin to comprehend what she had just said, half the life in the universe, gone? He felt his legs start to wobble as he stumbled forward, grabbing hold of the first chair he saw and sliding into it. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him, did that mean Pepper was gone? Happy? Rhodey? Could everyone he knew be dust? Surely someone was still alive. That was all he could tell himself as he dropped his head back into his hands. All of his nightmares had finally come to fruition.

* * *

The man sat in the chair behind her, not speaking, she checked on him intermittently catching him sitting with his head in his hand or staring out into the reaches of space as it coursed by outside the cockpit. They were only a couple of hours from Earth so she left him go but there was something that had been nagging at her since Titan. Nebula knew she should ask his name, should find out something about him but that was not what really interested her. The only thing that had caught her attention and the only thing she wanted to know, made no sense, but she asked it anyway, "Who was he?"

"I'm sorry?" Tony felt his gut twist as the pain of the memory crept out of its box but he could not help the quiet hope that she was talking about Strange or one of Quill's people. He could not talk about the kid at this point.

She could hear the understanding in his tone, he knew who she was talking about, or at least he had an idea and he was praying he was wrong. Still, some long lost or forgotten part of her needed to know, so she clarified, "The child, the one who died last, he seemed to trust you. Was he your son?" The tortured sob that tore from the man's throat made Nebula almost regret even voicing the question but she could not get the way the child had clung to him out of her mind. It had jarred long buried memories of her own family, from when Thanos had first arrived. She had been small and scared too, just like the boy had been. In that instant on Titan, she remembered being ushered into the town square, her father's arms holding her tightly to his chest. The feel of her mother's skirts was still burned into her memory, since she had been tugged into them as other families were pulled apart and separated. But then as Thanos's thugs waded through the crowd, her father's strong arms were torn away and her own fingers were ripped from her mother's skirts. That was when she had bit and scratched at the men holding her, clamping down so tightly on one of their fingers that she had nearly torn it off. Thanos took an interest in her fight and had taken her for his own, to mold into something terrible and broken. But for some reason when she saw that boy, that image of herself pierced tore through her consciousness, tugging at a fury she had forgotten the specifics of long ago.

"No," Tony answered curtly, unable to engage any farther, he was seeing Peter again begging for help he refused to give. Then he mentally shook himself and buried the memory again, unable to allow it to take control, unable to allow it to keep him from bringing the kid back. When he spoke again, his voice was cool, detached, closer to what Pete would need him to be, closer to the Tony Stark he knew long before Iron Man, before Pepper, before Peter, "He was my responsibility. Not my kid." It was callous and Tony knew it but it was necessary, still he could not help a hint of self deprecation, a reminder that Pete was better than he could ever be, "He was lucky enough to have someone else as his father."

Nebula turned to face him then, recognizing the change in his tone and seeing that same change on his face. Some kind of mask had slipped into place, keeping his emotions in check so he could accomplish his own mission. She knew what it meant and there was a pang of – what was it? Regret? Anger? Jealousy? – deep in her chest when she realized that this child had an adoptive parent who had no desire to make him different, to make him better. He had someone who just wanted to protect him. She mulled the emotion over before she recognized its taste. Jealously, she knew its burning hunger crawling up the back of her throat, it was the same thing she felt every time Gamora beat her, every time her father dismissed her. It was misdirected at Gamora and caused by Thanos but ultimately, the emotion was the same and to feel it again directed at a child she had not even known, Nebula hated it. Hated so much what she was. She turned away from the broken man, focusing instead on getting him home.

Tony's mask stayed in place as he stared at the woman before him, he knew she was wrestling with her own demons and a twinge of empathy hit him at that recognition. He realized he should probably find out the blue woman's name, it would be easier than referring to her as the blue alien woman, even if it was just in his head, "So what's your name? What do they call you?"

Her voice was hard enough to cut diamond when she finally answered, "Nebula." She did not turn again, unwilling to engage him any further.

Tony could not help the shiver that ran through him when she answered, it would not surprise him if she was able to kill Thanos. But when she did not continue, he decided to introduce himself, "I'm Tony by the way."

Nebula flicked up her fingers in response, they would be to his home planet in less than an hour and she would be rid of the man.

"Okay, nice talking to you then." Tony responded angrily, settling back into the seat as carefully as he could, still distinctly aware of the stab wound on his side.

* * *

 **So there you go, my take on the aftermath of the snap.**

 **How long until Avengers 4 again?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone!**

 **Well, the next chapter is up! I've been playing around with characters in this one and I think I've got them pretty close to accurate, so let me know what you think. Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and all I can say is that I hope you like this one as well. Remember you're all awesome!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The pain did not get any better the longer the, now awkwardly silent, trip dragged on. His temporary fix had held but the lack of painkillers, that was starting to wear on him. He knew he had to be a few shades paler and he could feel the sweat on his brow. But the nanobots had done a decent job of repairing themselves and the suit was almost mostly rebuilt so some of its healing properties were starting to kick in. So he forced himself to press on, he could rest and heal when Pete was back.

Unfortunately, as Mars came into view on one of the star charts, he realized he needed to focus on something else that had been a slowly building pressure in the back of his mind. Who was still alive on Earth? At least some of the Avengers had to be but there was a the suit would not be up to its full capabilities, so he needed another way to get a message to them. Then a solution came to mind, unfortunately it meant waiting until they broke the atmosphere.

* * *

His wish did not take long. Within fifteen minutes, Earth's distinctive sphere came into view and as the Benatar coasted through the first layers of firmament, Tony snapped his helmet back into place. As the interior lights came online, Tony held his breath until the soft voice of FRIDAY filled his ears, "Good to have you back, boss." Normally, Tony would have acknowledged her but he just couldn't. Instead, he shakily asked her to call Pepper. Tony's pulse quickened when FRIDAY confirmed the order. The phone rang once and when his fiancé did not immediately answer, Tony felt the shattered pieces of his heart ground down a little smaller. On the second ring, those pieces quickly started to disintegrate and he could feel tears forming in his eyes. The phone rang a third time and his breath sped up, a tear rolling down his face, still thankfully covered by the helmet. Then in the middle of the fourth ring, the call connected.

"Tony?" Her voice wavered even as she said his name, the fear and confusion evident.

Tony could not hold back the sob that tore out from his throat when he heard her voice, "Pep – Pepper." His own voice broke on the name and a small part of him reignited. He had not lost everything, "Thank god." He breathed out.

But Pepper's voice quaked as panic broke through her normally composed tone, "Tony what's going on? The world…people just disappeared…they turned to dust. I don't – I don't know – I don't understand…What's happening, Tony?"

He let out a calming breath as he tried to give her whatever support he could, unfortunately, that left him feeling like shit because he did not know anything either, "I don't know right now Pep but we're going to fix it." He could picture her shaking her head, her hand over her mouth on the other end of the phone. He almost smiled. Almost. Because it was his turn to ask a question, "Pepper, where are you?"

Her voice had solidified a bit, "I'm in New York, at the office. Peop-"

Tony cut her off before she could continue, his voice deadly serious, "Get to the compound, Pepper. Whatever you have to do to get there, go now. I'm on my way back and I'll be there as soon as I can."

She did not react to the order, just pressed forward trying to understand, "Tony, what's going on?"

He had to hold back a sigh and he mustered patience he did not know he had because he needed her safe above anything else. So he set about convincing her, "I promise I will explain everything to you when I get there but I need you to listen carefully." He could hear her focusing on the phone, god he loved this woman, "When you get to the Compound, send out a distress signal to anyone you can. I don't know where they are and I don't know who sur-survived," he cursed himself as he stumbled on the word that forced the kid's last moments into his mind again, "so we need to get in touch with as many of the Avengers as we can. Signal each individually, do not just send out a singular message. We need to know who responds and we need to get to one place. Can you do that, Pepper?"

The composure was back in her tone , "Yes, I'm heading to the jet now." And then the insecurity reared it head, "Tony, what are we going to do?"

He shook his head within the helmet, still trying to figure that out for himself, "I don't know, Pep. But we will fix this, we have to fix this." A fierce need to solve this problem coursed through Tony's veins, they would fix this and he would make sure Thanos paid, even if it took his dying breath. "Pepper, I love you." The phrase he so rarely said stuck on his tongue, a layer of guilt that had not been on the surface in a long time.

She seemed to sense his need, "I love you too, Tony. Be safe."

Message sent, Tony let the helmet fall back as he took in the view. The bright blue skies and undisturbed green of Africa from 65,000 feet up made it possible for him to believe that this was all a bad dream. Then that asshole part, the part that was meant to keep him focused, reminded him it sure was hell was not. Taking a deep breath, he raised his voice to Nebula, "We're going to the Avenger's Compound, where do I enter the coordinates?"

Without really looking at him, Nebula flicked a hand toward the console in front of the seat next to her. Tony gingerly stepped forward and lowered himself into the seat before studying the screen in front of him. It only took a moment for him to understand what he was looking at before he he started to tap at the screen, imputing the coordinates FRIDAY fed him. As he sat back, he rolled his head toward the pilot, "So…how long until we get there?" Tony was actually still a little unsure what he said that pissed this woman off as badly as it did but when she gave an equally clipped answer to his second question, he assumed it was bad.

"About twenty minutes." Nebula knew there was no reason for her to take her anger out on this man, he really had done nothing more than answer her questions. Still, she could not give him anymore, instead she focused on landing the ship. Then another thought occurred to her, "If the last stone was on your planet, who would know about what happened to it?"

Paradoxically thankful she had hinted at something that could help with a solution, Tony overlooked her obvious anger and rushed to answer, hoping to gain some information for himself, "The other Avengers…or at least whoever is left, they will know. It was probably the stone with Vision."

Nebula tried to recall the stones she had seen in the gauntlet, "The last stone he needed was the mind stone, it had a distinct golden hue."

Tony nodded absentmindedly and then realized she was not looking at him, so he verbally added, "That's the one."

Nebula looked over at him then, her face set and her eyes hard, "I will stay and talk to these Avengers. I need to know what happened after he got the stone if I am going to find him." Decision made, she turned back away from him, focusing again on the continents coming up quickly below them. Tony watched in a daze, retreating back into himself and recalling a person he had not been in a long time.

* * *

By the time Nebula set the ship down on the landing platform at the Avenger's Compound, Tony was more than ready to get off the damned ship. It had only been fifteen minutes but that had been more than enough time for him to sit unoccupied. His fingers had started to twitch and he fought with himself to maintain his demeanor. He knew he should be worried about the fact that the gruesome stab wound through his side was not healed. Knew he should be worried it had stopped hurting. Knew he should be worried about all the panic and the sheer terror he was burying. But he also knew, if he wanted to make this right, he could not afford to worry about those things. So he bolted out of the hatch as soon as it opened.

Pepper was standing at the door to the landing pad and she tucked herself behind the door as the whine of the engines powered down. As soon as the quiet returned, she slipped back around into the doorway. The creak of metal and the sound of hydraulics heralded the opening of some kind of ramp and then she saw the red and gold armor. Without thinking, Pepper set off at a run, slamming into the armor as she wrapped her arms around him. It was awkward but the circumstances warranted the reaction, "Oh Tony, thank god." She felt the armor retracting from under her arms and in moments she was left just holding her fiancé.

"Hey Pep." Tony whispered into her hair and he fought hard against himself as he felt cracks start to form in his armor. He knew his eyes were starting to well up but he pulled himself back, unwilling to let them fall.

She leaned back and looked him in the eye, worry clear in her own. "Tony…" But damn her, if she was not good at reading him, "Tony, what's wrong?"

 _Asshole_ , he reminded himself before he forced himself to shut down, "Nothing. It's nothing." Then he abruptly pulled away from her, squaring his shoulders and steadying his shaking hands, "Who were you able to get in touch with?" He apologized to her in his head but needed to stay focused now.

In response to the strange reception, Pepper squared her own shoulders, standing up straight and replying like she used to, her voice hard and businesslike, "Not many. Rhodey answered and so did Natasha. Bruce did as well. They said Steve and Thor are with them along with a few others from Wakanda. No one else has answered."

Tony felt his resolve start to crack, "So few?"

Pepper heard it in his tone and she sadly nodded, "They'll be here within a few hours."

It was then that Nebula stalked up to the two. Tony threw his hand out toward her, "Pepper, Nebula. Nebula, Pepper." Both women gave a greeting, well really Pepper said hello and Nebula started asking her questions but Tony's attention drifted. Introductions given, he snapped his fingers before slamming his fists together and in doing so, caught sight of the dust and blood still caked on his hands. For a moment, the panic sank back in. He recognized the signs. His breathing sped up and his heart was racing but with a force of will he had not known before, he squashed it. He held his breath, breathed through his nose, anything to force his breathing to slow down and for once, it worked. By the time it had, both women were staring at him. Taking in Nebula's flat eyes and Pepper's slightly more expressive face, he swallowed his panic, "I'm going to get cleaned up." And without another word, he briskly set off toward his room. He heard Pepper's heels clicking against the marble floor but he did not stop.

* * *

It was not long after he managed to force himself to change and finally wash his hands that what was left of the Avengers arrived in their stolen quinjet. FRIDAY's voice finally overrode the quiet he had been sitting in for the better part of an hour, "Boss, the rest of the Avengers are here."

"Thanks FRIDAY." He offered, before levering himself into a standing position, a hand pressed to his side.

That was when the AI decided to stick her nose in his business again. Her voice was soft when she suggested he ask for some help, "You should talk to a medical professional before you meet with them."

But Tony was not having it. He needed to talk to them so in response to the very logical suggestion, he snapped, "Mute." He knew she was right, of course she was, but he needed needed a plan of action before he took care of himself.

He zipped the hoodie up far enough to hide the nanobots and the wound before striding into the main complex. His arrogant strut returned easier than he would even admit as he turned toward the conference room. They were already there, standing at the front of the room near the door, Pepper in the thick of it while Happy and Nebula stood like sentries at the fringes. Happy at least looked relieved, Nebula just looked pissed, something that Tony was beginning to think was her usual expression. He stepped up behind Pepper, his sharp eyes quickly taking in who was left in the tormented band in front of him. It unnerved him how many were gone, still he refused to let it show.

His eyes finally locked on the one person he had really hoped he would never need to contact again, "Steve," he addressed coolly, "Did Bruce call you?" He asked, glancing back at his friend. Tony knew that the good doctor would have been the only one left to call the super soldier after he disappeared in the donut.

"Tony." Steve ground out before he clapped the man on the shoulder and offered in an apologetic tone, "He did. And I'm glad to see you're alive."

Tony winced as the action jarred his injury but he hid it by sliding out of his former friend's grasp. "Burying the proverbial hatchet, then?" Tony quipped, raising the pitch at the end to sound like a question.

Then in true Captain fashion, Steve shrugged, "Seems like the thing to do." He watched Tony's reaction, expecting some kind of retort or remark but instead the man's eyes hardened and Steve saw Tony's gaze slide back over his shoulder.

Tony almost said something, almost turned around and told him to find said hatchet but then his mind screamed at him that there were more important things at stake than his damnable pride. The lingering feeling of dust and blood coagulated on his hands smacked into him and refocused his attention. So instead of responding, he glanced over Cap's back, "This is everyone?" Tony looked over the worn, battered group standing behind America's Captain. They looked like they had battled far too long and the look in each of their eyes betrayed the enormity of their loss.

Steve glanced behind him before looking back at Tony, the pain clear in his commanding voice, "Unfortunately, yes. The young princess, Shuri, stayed behind to see what she could save of Vision but everyone else came with me." Tony was about to say something else when a new voice interrupted.

When she heard the name Vision, Nebula kicked off the wall and stepped into the middle of the shell-shocked group. All eyes turned to her but she was focused on the tall one talking to Tony, "Vision is the one who held the mind stone?"

It was a testament to how shaken his was but Steve started almost imperceptibly at the new voice before turning slowly and warily toward it, his eyes narrowed before hesitantly answering, "Yes. Thanos dug it out of his head."

So she had been right, the final stone had been on Earth. Needing to know more, Nebula pressed on, ignoring the looks from the assembled group, "Tell me what happened." The demand seemed to shock the group back into the present.

Steve nearly recoiled at the hunger in her unnaturally black eyes. Whoever, or whatever, this woman was, she was more interested in the genocidal Titan than he felt comfortable with and he looked back to Tony. As if reading his mind, Tony flicked his hand toward the super soldier, "Just tell her. She wants to kill him nearly as badly as I do." The flippant remark was meant to sound blasé but there was an undercurrent of pain or agony that defied the ease of the statement.

Steve picked up on it, looking at him nearly as suspiciously, "Tony, are you sure we can trust her?"

"Trust her? Not at all but the guy killed her sister, if she can help us find him, I'd say fill her in. Plus, I wouldn't mind knowing what happened too." As nonchalantly as he could, Tony slid down into a chair and threw his feet onto the table, barely hiding the wince as the wound pulled.

Steve shot him a look of annoyance but it was Thor who filled in the story, "He tore the stone from Vision's head. I tried to stop him but he snapped his fingers and a blinding light filled the clearing before his eyes went vacant but he did not die. Instead, he seemed to go somewhere for a few moments before he came back to himself. But when he did, the gauntlet was ruined. It was twisted and melted in a way I did not think would be possible given the skill of the dwarf who created it. I demanded to know what he had done but he motioned with the gauntlet and disappeared through a dark tunnel. I am not sure where it lead."

Steve nodded along with what the god of thunder said before he added, "That's when everyone started to disappear. They just…turned into dust."

A pall settled over the room while each of the survivors tried to compose themselves. But Nebula was not about to let them have the time, she had a Titan to kill, "What color stone glowed when he made the motion? What color was the portal? Did he say anything?"

But this time, Tony's assurances were not enough and the Avengers bristled, "Who are you?" Steve demanded, as those behind him took an aggressive step forward.

The blue woman drew herself up to her full height, thrusting her chin forward in defiance and anger before she explained herself, "I am a daughter of Thanos. And I will be the one to kill him as revenge for his murder of Gamora and all the others he has slaughtered in his quest." Then she fluidly slid forward into a defensive position before snarling, "But in order to do that, I need to know where he went, now answer my questions or I will find the answers myself."

The rest of the Avengers were caught off guard by her introduction. Thankfully, Tony understood the posturing and from his place in the chair, he theatrically flopped his head into his hand, "Yah, that's about the introduction we got on the planet."

Then out of no where, a small streak darted across the conference room, landing in front of the blue alien woman, "You," it snarled, "Why are you here?" Then the clicking of what sounded suspiciously like a weapon broke the stunned silence of the room.

Unfazed by Nebula's attitude, Tony was the first one to react to the streak, snapping up in his seat, "What the hell is that?"

But thankfully, Thor who recovered next, his booming voice breaking through the confusion, "That is rabbit, he was quite a help during the battle."

The creature did not respond, if it even could, and instead stood up at its full height, a nasty looking gun pointed at the blue alien before him as he sneered, "You helped him do this, didn't you?" It was impossible to miss the tears in its eyes.

In response to the raccoon's obvious threats, Nebula unsheathed a sword, brandishing it toward little creature that would have been comical in any other situation. But before either could kill the other, Natasha stepped forward, arms splayed, "Everyone stop." And while neither lowered their weapon, the twitching of the rest of the room stilled.

Tony realized the small animal was a raccoon but he also noticed that it did not look right. It almost looked like someone had pulled it apart and pieced it back together. But as the stupidity of the distraction became clear, Tony felt his confusion pull at the panic working at the edges of his mind, he needed to know what was happening, now, "What the hell is going on? What is that?"

Then just as quickly as the creature streaked across the room, the gun was trained on him, "I am not a 'that'." The small creature snarled, fury clear on its furry face.

Tony could not help the look of disgust and disbelief that made up his expression but still the threat of the weapon was real enough so he threw up his hand and almost instantaneously the nanobots materialized a repulsor as a chest plate formed only a few seconds later. He was definitely not going to let a science experience stop him.

Thankfully, Thor's loud voice stopped the standoff and broke the tension, "Rabbit, put your weapon away." The incredulity in his tone nearly made Tony laugh at the stupidity of the situation.

The raccoon, or rabbit, or whatever he was snarled again before lowering the gun from Tony's face and in response the man lowered his arm, the nanobots slowly retreating back.

"I'm Rocket." It snapped but it did not reveal anything else. Instead it threw a thumb over its shoulder at Nebula, "She worked with Thanos, did she tell you that?"

Tony shrugged before dropping back down into the chair, "Last I saw, she was fighting against him. I think I'm going to take her most recent actions over her dumbest mistakes." His unconcerned attitude was firmly back into place, although, he could not help a little self-deprecation, "Hell, I once created a robot that tried to destroy the world. Surprisingly, that's not my actual goal." He saw Bruce wince behind Steve at the comment.

But then the blue alien started to talk again, "Rocket, I want to kill him." Nebula waited until the little creature turned back toward her, her voice taking on a sad, almost apologetic tone, more human than Tony thought possible, "He killed Gamora to get the soul stone and she gave it to him to keep him from killing me." Then the fury was back in her eyes, "Now its my turn to return the favor."

Rocket studied her for a moment, gun still gripped firmly in its paws, but a small quiver took over its voice as three names rolled from its lips, "Quill, Drax, Mantis?"

Tony recognized the name and watched the small creature drop its head to its chest after Nebula shook her head in the negative. Sighing heavily, its small shoulders slumping impossibly forward, the raccoon folded the gun back into his pack. Turning toward the assembled group he added, "Fine. If we're working with her, I'm helping."

Distraction dealt with, Nebula turned back to the assembled group, "I need my questions answered. Tell me everything that happened, everything Thanos did."

* * *

Tony listened for a while, gave the group space to work through the event but soon the frustration started to creep back in. None of what they were talking about was a solution. They were all talking about the cause and the cause did not need to be bantered about and discussed, the solution is what they needed to be focusing on. So Tony turned the attention back to himself after a time, clapping his hands together, he raised his voice for the first time since this history lesson started, "Alright well, that settles that." His chipper tone was out of place in the exchange and from his relaxed position in the chair, it seemed like he was not discussing more than dinner. Then he got to the point, "So, what are we going to do about it?" He swiftly came to his feet, apparently no one else was going to sit so why should he?

After his addition, Steve rounded on Tony, his eyebrows raised incredulously, "Tony, we don't even understand what happened. Right now we need to spend time gathering intelligence and finding someone who can tell us more about what these stones are, what that gauntlet did, and how we could even begin to reverse this. If we even can."

"Am I hearing Captain America admit defeat?" Tony bit back sarcastically, shielding his growing worry. "I thought you were the beacon of America and the world and all that. Is a big purple alien too much?" Even his asshole side was warning him he might need to rein it back in.

But of course, Steve did not rise to his taunting, save a slight undercurrent of anger coloring his tone, "I will not condone or assist with a mission that has no hope of succeeding. We need to take the time to understand what is going on and the best way to win before wasting our resources."

"We don't have time to collect the information." Tony snarled, feeling his mask crack. He quickly tried to putty up the holes. Backtracking, he tried again in a decidedly more even sounding tone, "I'm just saying, we should act now. If Thor is right that means Thanos is badly wounded and the gauntlet is broken. We can surprise him. Steal the gauntlet and the stones and reverse this whole," he twirled his hand in the air to finish off his plan, "world-ending snap."

Steve could not believe what he was hearing, "How do we find him, Tony? Not even Thor knows where he went."

Tony gestured to Nebula, "What about her? She's his daughter, she has to have an idea."

Steve did not say anything. Instead he adopted the look of pity you would give to an overactive child who was being told to sit still until the adults were done talking, before then ignoring that child. In keeping with that time honored tradition, he turned back to the rest of the Avengers, "We are going to need to know everything we can about these stones. Reach out to anyone you know who might have a scrap of information. We are going to need everyone on this…" But he did not get to finish what he was saying as Tony drew the attention back to himself, being dismissed was not really something he did.

"We have to fix this. We need to _go_ fix this." Tony's anger was simmering dangerously close under the surface. The people he was counting on to help were starting to ignore him and the panic was settling in. When Steve turned away from him, Tony tried to rein in the terror, tried to return to the rational, aloof asshole but the more orders Steve gave, the harder it was becoming. The last time they had a disagreement had not turned out nearly as well as he had wanted and now it seemed to be happening again.

Steve was taken aback by the wrath, he knew Tony was angry, they all were but the festering rage that was caused his increasingly strange behave was a draining distraction. He knew it had been a few years but surely, Tony would still look for the logical solution. His demand was not productive. Steve sighed and turned back to the slightly flustered looking man before explaining himself, "We need to wait, Tony. We need to know more about what happened."

"What else is there to know?" The cracks were starting to show in Tony's barely contained cool, "A giant purple alien just wiped out half of all life in the universe. We need to fix it, end of story. That's it."

The absolutes were starting to anger the First Avenger. This was not the Tony he had left behind, this was something else but he could not figure out what. Still with the Avengers down to well under half, he needed the engineer to hold it together at least until they could get a handle on what was happening. Unfortunately, Tony did not seem to want to oblige him. He instead fidgeted, unconsciously trying to fiddle with something that would solve the problem.

"You can't just say 'fix it', Tony. We don't even know what it is!" Steve was losing the tenuous hold he had on his own patience, this was not helping anyone. He had actually lost someone. And that thought gave Steve pause, as guilty as it made him feel. He took a measure of who was left. Pepper was still there. Rhodes made it. Hell, even Happy was standing at the back of the room. That meant Tony's anger was unwarranted, selfish, and unproductive. Steve could not help the burn of his own rage at the realization that the man who had lost so little was willing to risk the lives of those that had been lost for an easy, unproven, fix. Suddenly, Siberia flashed in his mind, so help Iron Man if he got in his way when it came to getting Bucky back.

Still Tony's face darkened at Steve's anger but his resolve did not weaken and his voice did not waiver, "We know all we need to, half the universe is gone, and we need to reverse that. Do not tell me we cannot do it; we are the goddamn avengers. What the hell is the point of us if we cannot do this?"

Steve curled his hands into fists as he tried to compensate for Tony's anger. His voice was low and forced into something resembling calm when he responded, "Tony I understand you are upset but we cannot just run blindly into the breech or we will not do anyone any good." Then he something clicked and his voice softened marginally, "I know you feel responsible for Thanos, but we cannot afford to simply throw the few resources we have left at him without a plan." Steve knew it was harsh but he needed Tony to understand that this needed to be about more than one man. Steve looked up at Pepper, a silent plea for some help in getting him to agree. Instead she was staring at Tony, her hand held tightly over her mouth and tears tracking slowly down her face.

It might have been sheer ire or buried heartbreak or the fact that no one in the room noticed the youngest Avenger was not among them, or some combination of the three but in any case, Tony snapped. He squared up to Steve forcing him to turn his attention back to the shorter man. When Steve did, the anger and soul-searing pain radiating from Tony made even Captain America take a step backward. "You think I didn't lose someone, don't you? You think I'm being selfish, that this is all about me. That because Pepper and Rhodey and Happy are okay that I am only trying to excise my own demons." A derisive laugh cut through the combatants and ratcheted up the ringing tension in the room. Then Tony looked down, his eyes skittered across the ground as he attempted to do what? Find some answers? Bring Pete back? Eventually, he looked back up at Steve, his voice breaking a little more with every uttered word, "He. Killed. My kid." The tears that had glazed his eyes started to fall and the hero down to a sweatshirt stared down the First Avenger. "I want him back and I will not allow anyone to stand in my way," Tony snarled.

Steve froze, unable to process what he had just heard. Had Tony just said 'kid'? What kid? So when he dumbly stuttered out, "Wh-what?" any other observer would have forgiven his obvious confusion. Unfortunately, Tony Stark was not a normal observer.

"Why is this so difficult for you to understand?" Tony fumed, his voice hard, "Thanos killed Pete and I will get him back with or without your help. And the way I see it right now, you are wasting my time."

"Tony, who's Pete?" Rhodes spoke up, saving Steve from the anger.

As Tony rounded on Rhodey, his resentment softened slightly, slipping from all-consuming rage to simmering ire as he desperately tried to explain, "Made up names, right." And then the realization that none of them knew who Pete was twisted the knife just a little farther, "Spider-man." He nearly choked on the name but continued, "He was on the flying donut with me. He…he's the reason we almost stopped Thanos." There was a collective hum as those around the table quickly recalled who he was talking about.

Rhodey recovered first, "The guy who was making the Star Wars references in Germany? Did you just say he was a kid?" Rhodey asked incredulously, "How old, Tony?" His voice held an accusation Tony was not ready to deal with.

Still he had to if he wanted to get the kid back. The man dropped his gaze, embarrassed to admit what he had done, so when he finally whispered Pete's age, his felt the full judgment of the room, "Fifteen."

But it was Rhodey's reaction that made it all worse. He was nearly shouting as he berated his friend, "You brought a fifteen year old into a fight with an intergalactic Titan? What were you thinking?"

The burn of all their eyes tore through his tattered soul as he desperately tried to get them to understand that he did not willingly get his kid killed, "I didn't bring him alright." Looking up at the ceiling and trying to stop the tears from falling, he composed himself as much as he could, "I tried to send him home. I tried to keep him away but he snuck on board the ship. He had his suit in his bag for the field trip and it was too late for me to drag him home, so I made a choice. I told FRIDAY to send him home, his parachute deployed, I saw it." He was looking at them all, but not seeing them, "he should not have been on the ship but then he was. It was too late to get him back…"

"So your solution was to let him fight?" Rhodey stood haltingly, his mechanical legs betraying him as he tried to stand quickly, interrupting Tony. He could not believe what he was hearing from his friend. Had he really just admitted he had put a kid in combat, had used him in a fight the collective might of the Avengers was not even prepared for? Rhodey knew Tony could be selfish but this was beyond anything he thought he would ever do.

But Tony did not need to be told, had thought it all out on the ride back and he finally turned his anger on Rhodey, unable to keep it bottled up any longer, "Listen I know alright! He died in _my_ arms! He begged…he begged me for help…" His anger broke at his admission, a sob accompanied the tears and it took him a second to swallow back the lump in his throat so he could continue talking, "I know what I did. I know this is on me. I know I kil-…I know I killed him," bile threatened to choke him but he needed to get this out, needed to make them understand the urgency of the what he was trying to do, "but that does not change the fact that I need to get him back. I can't – oh god…" Tony doubled over then, dropping a hand to his knee and one to his side as he attempted to get a handle on the panic and pain crawling up his spine. Then he groaned again as the wound he had been trying to ignore burned into his consciousness and he realized he might have been a bit worse off than he thought. Suddenly, his vision went fuzzy and his side felt like someone had lit a fire against it. Then his knees hit the concrete hard, sending a jarring sensation up his spine. His mind registered a blurry face hovering over his but that was gone just as quickly as his senses finally gave up.

* * *

 **Well that's it, the Avengers are finally back together but with little idea of where to go next. I'm already working on the next chapter so thank you again for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful day!**

 **-Lily**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter, everyone! For those of you who are still reading, thank you so much for sticking with it, its always nice to know that someone is willing to read what has taken a good chunk of time and creativity so thank you so much for continuing to do so. I really means a lot!**

 **Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Everything slipped into silence as the stretcher was wheeled out of the room. The overwhelming quiet weighing on them as Tony's outburst again drove home everything they had lost. But it also reminded them that they had no idea how to make it right. The guilt of those failed lives weighed on them as the injuries of the battle crashed into them again. No one knew what to say. And so they sat there, each in their own individual world, unable to even truly find each other. Eventually, Steve spoke up, his voice thick, "We need to get cleaned up. We're too exhausted to come up with anything right now. Everyone needs to take some time and focus. We'll meet back here later." Then he stood, signaling to the others to do the same.

* * *

His consciousness came back to him slowly, as his mind turned the small tidbits of information he was getting over in his head to piece together a picture of what exactly was happening. It took longer than he would ever admit to realize he was in a hospital bed, whatever drugs they had him on were beyond strong. Then he tried to remember why he was here. His mind was fuzzy but just like the sensory clues, it all started to come back slowly. The ride from Titan, the stab wound, all of it, and then he remembered the ash and his breathing sped up. Slamming his eyes open, he sat up quickly, snapping his head from side to side as he tried to convince himself it was just a dream but as he felt the stitches pull at the wound, he stopped suddenly because it was real. All of it was real. Peter was dead because of him. And a sob tore from his throat as the tears started again. He was starting to panic and he knew it. But then a shock of clarity cut through the anxiety as determination reined in the useless tears. There was a solution to all this, there was a way to fix it, he just needed to find it.

Then Pepper appeared at his side, hands on his chest as she pressed him gently but firmly back into the bed, "Lay back down, Tony. The doctor said you need a few more days before you can be up and around."

He continued his struggle, trying to get her to understand, "I can't Pepper, I need to start working. We have to do something."

She looked at him with worry and a small measure of pity, "Tony, you've only been out for a few hours, you need to stop. You collapsed because you should have seen a doctor as soon as you got back and you didn't. Now lay back down." Her tone was hard, prepared for an argument.

He tried to press against her hands again but she stopped him, "You can't help Peter if you kill yourself before you find the way to bring him back." As much as she hated to say it, she was thankful when he stopped and relaxed into her hands. He shot her a frustrated glance but did not say anything so she filled in the silence, "Tony, why didn't you tell me what happened? I knew something was wrong when you came off that ship."

The annoyance slipped away as he deflated. His eyes welled with tears again but this time he refused to let them fall, instead swallowing thickly before trying to explain, "I don't know, Pepper," He paused, searching for the right words, "I'm sorry. I just – I knew it was my fault. I was trying to, I don't know, not care." Those were not the right words.

She frowned at that explanation, "Why?"

A few tears escaped his stubborn fight to keep them from falling, as he cursed himself for not explaining it right, "I just thought that if I could distance myself from it, keep from reliving that instance over and over, that I would not be able to fail. That I wouldn't miss anything vital because I was too busy worrying about whether it would bring him back."

"Tony," she dragged out his name the way she did when he was being particularly dense, "You're going to miss more if you're pretending not to care about him because you'll be spending half your focus trying to hide your feelings. I know what Peter means to you and you are going be able to solve this much faster if you remember that he's who you're trying to save."

"Shouldn't it be about more than just one person though?" It held a guilt he did not even realize he was carrying. He was supposed to be some superhero but it felt like only Pete mattered and he felt guilty, for some reason he could not explain, because he knew the kid was the only one who mattered.

"No." She answered simply, "He's the one you need to save. Because if he doesn't make it, you won't be able to forgive yourself. So focus on him. And if saving him, saves everyone else, then you'll have succeeded completely."

He knew she was right, knew that no matter what he did, he could not completely divorce himself from what happened. He was fully aware that his kid's last words would haunt his sleep until he got him back. And if he was being brutally honest with himself, it would haunt his dreams until his dying day. But he could live with that, if he saved him. He laid his head back against the pillow and just looked at Pepper, "God, what would I do without you?" He mused, starting to focus on what he needed to do.

Pepper just smiled and kissed his hand before telling him to get some sleep and settling back into the chair.

Without meaning too, he listened to her.

* * *

Tony had only been out of the Medbay for a few hours before they started into the problem. Thor knew the most about the infinity stones and filled in the rest of the survivors so they were all on the same page. And then they dug into what to do next. The discussion burned through the day and lasted well into the night until eventually Steve called it and forced everyone to step away from the table. The hope was that they would get some sleep but if he was being honest, it probably would not happen. He watched as everyone filtered out of the room until only Tony was left, looking at him expectantly.

Unsure of exactly what the man wanted, he reiterated his earlier sentiment, "We should get some sleep, Tony." Steve had noticed he had been acting strange all day, like he was trying to work through something other than the problem at hand and now he was just staring at him, studying him like he was looking for something.

Tony paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before he leaned forward, "Look Steve, I…uh…I'm sorry." He smirked when he saw the look of alarm on the Captain's face, that was something that rarely happened. Still, he needed to get this out and he sobered quickly, "I acted like an idiot with the Accords and Zemo, I just…" He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face collecting himself, "I – I should've trusted you more than I did and I'm sorry." His voice lowered a bit, "I've been needing to say that for a long time, I just wish it hadn't needed to wait until after," Tony still could not bring himself to say it, so he twisted his hand in front of him, "all this."

Steve regarded him silently for a moment, trying to work up the nerve to say what he needed to say as well, "I need to apologize too, Tony. I shouldn't have acted the way I did and I should have told you about your parents, it was wrong of me to hide it. And I sure as hell shouldn't have left the way I did. Hell, I shouldn't have even fought you in Siberia." The conversation fell but there was a shift in the room, as some invisible weight lifted off the relationship.

But Tony refused to let that last statement stand, "Yah you should have, you were protecting someone you care about. I'm sorry I didn't understand that." Steve's eyes snapped to his and as he said it, an understanding passing between them. But then Tony pressed on, he needed the Captain to get it, he needed him to _know_ they were on the same page, "Steve I'm sorry about Bucky." The surprise shifted into a painful grimace, as Tony quietly elaborated, "I noticed I hadn't seen him and I knew he was staying in Wakanda, I just…" he trailed off, dropping his hands in front of him, "I know how it feels." He swallowed hard and dropped his eyes to the floor. He was getting better but emotion was still not his strong suit.

Then it was Steve's turn to surprise him, "He must be a special kid."

Tony did not miss, or fail to appreciate the fact, that Steve was speaking in the present tense, but he could not answer, just nodded. But he also knew Pete deserved better, so he forced himself to elaborate, "Pete's a great kid." Tony smirked, "He's smarter than me, know that? He could design half the things I've spent my life creating in less time." Then he sobered a bit, "but he would have never made the weapons." For a brief moment, his mind wandered back to the moment when the blonde reporter – what was her name? – had asked him for his reaction to his nickname, the "Merchant of Death". God if he could take back his answer, he would, even all these years later, he wished to god he could have never earned that title. But then he thought about what Pete had made and he could not help but smile as he looked, "You know he made his own suit? They were basically pajamas but he built his own web shooters with this incredibly strong fluid that he made in a drawer in his science class. And all he wanted to do was stop the bad guys, protect the little guy, you know?" Then his eyes dropped again, "He told me on the ship that he had to help fight because he couldn't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-man if there was no neighborhood. God, I shouldn't have let him..." He swallowed hard, the tears sitting in his eyes as he continued, "He's better than I could ever be and he's only fifteen." Then his guilt shown through, "Why me, Steve? Why the hell am I still here and he's not?" And the tears started to fall again.

Steve listened to his friend's heartbreak and he understood. It might have been a different relationship but that does not make the despair or the hole in their souls any less real. And then Tony asked the one question he had been wrestling with as well, "I don't know, Tony. I wish I could give you an answer. All I know is that we have to do everything we can to get them back."

Tony hummed his agreement as a companionable silence filtered into the room. As both men turned their attention to the task at hand, irreversibly standing on the same solid ground.

* * *

Then finally, after months of talking and yelling, they had a breakthrough. Scott, with the help of Tony, Bruce, and Foster, had figured out how to control the quantum realm enough to travel to certain points in space and time. But it was a tricky proposition and one that came with a significant amount of risk because they had to make sure they took the stones after they had already been put in play. If they pulled a stone out of its context before it was locked away or in its final place before Thanos took it, they risked losing the location of the other stones. Once they had an idea of how to get ahold of them, it became an issue of how to wield them. The argument was essentially between Thor, Nebula, and Bruce but none were truly sure if they would be able to survive long enough to use the stones. Everyone else was weighing in on the validity of one over another but none were willing to fully put someone forward because of the risks.

Tony was not really listening to the argument, as soon as the proposition was put forward for another gauntlet, he had started running through ways to create it. So when the discussion slid into a stalemate, Tony spoke up, his voice quiet but determined, "I'll do it."

All eyes turned to the quiet man sitting at the corner of the table but it was Steve who responded, "Tony, you can't."

He leaned forward in his seat, conviction growing with every word, "I'm the only one who can." Then he laid out his plan. Looking at Nebula, "The stones have to be wielded, right?" When she nodded her hesitant answer, he continued, "I can built it into my suit. If everything is constructed to work toward that end, built to control the power of the stones, I should be fine." He shrugged away the danger of the suggestion with nearly incomprehensible ease.

Then Thor's voice broke the silence, "Stark, you will not be able to control the stones even with your suit of iron, I will wield it."

The room started to hum with the god's renewed offer.

But Tony stood his ground, anger and determination clear on his face, "No." He began, bringing the flurry to a halt with one short word, "We need you as the front line. I can't do nearly as much damage to Thanos with my suit as you can with your axe. We have to focus on the best uses of our resources and you using the gauntlet is not as useful."

Thor stared at him disbelievingly, but he did not have a rebuttal.

Rhodes was not going to let him get away with it that easily, "Tony…" he started but trailed off unsure of where to go before lamely finishing, "It could kill you."

Tony shrugged again, "It could kill any one of us. The only useful thing I have heard during this childish argument is that we have to channel the power." He held his arms out to his side in emphasis, "I'm the only one that can do that safely." He clapped his hands together as if the sound closed the argument.

But they weren't done, Bruce raised an eyebrow at his assertion, curiosity obvious in his tone, "How?"

Unfortunately, Tony had thought about that too, "I'll blend whatever the metal of Thor's axe is with vibranium to form the nanotech. If that axe is as powerful as you said and we already know what vibranium can do, the two should be able to distribute enough of the power to let me use the gauntlet."

Bruce pressed the argument farther, "But you can't guarantee it won't kill you."

Tony stared him down and then slid back into his seat, never breaking eye contact, "No but all I need to do is survive long enough to snap my fingers."

The offhanded nature of his comment set the room into an uproar again as multiple Avengers started to argue with him but his patience was wearing thin. He gave them a few minutes before he responded, "I don't think you understand," he muttered, lumping together all their arguments and suppositions. The room instantly hushed, "I'm going to kill Thanos slowly with as much pain as I can manage and this is the best way to do that. That's it. This is not a discussion." He looked to each one of the Avengers individually, daring them to argue with him, "I'll wield it. Now, move on. What else do we need to know?"

* * *

They tore the universe apart to get them back.

Ripped through timelines and destroyed legacies because none of it meant shit if they could not get everyone back.

It took two years.

Two long years of desperately scraping through time, of collecting the stones, and placing them out of context where Thanos could not get them. Of tracking down the homicidal maniac himself to taunt him enough to fight on their turf because they still needed the one stone they could not collect in any other way. The soul stone had been the key after all but it required a sacrifice, a soul bound to its existence until the next depraved individual decided to search for it. They could not just take it.

In the end it had been the full might of the Avengers, beating their hands bloody and working themselves beyond exhaustion just to get to one last fight. One last chance to wrench the last stone and gauntlet from Thanos's grasp. They had unleashed the Mad Titan and he was hell bent on destroying the creatures that were attempting to rescind his legacy of death. As they formed up on the green fields outside Wakanda, there was a moment of déjà vu for those who had lived through this before but also a moment of calm as they realized that this time they were together. And as Steve calmly ordered, "Avengers Assemble," they prepared for a fight unlike any other. Clint strung his bow, specially made and reinforced by Tony; Natasha pulled out her batons, also reengineered to deliver and a deadly surge of energy through the vibranium capped ends; Rhodey took off into the sky above the battle, his new nanotech armor reflected the sun. Nebula stood beside her new allies, Rocket at her side as they readied for a fight. Bruce released the Hulk, Thor pulled out Stormbreaker, lightning already crackling around the blade, and Cap slid the new shield Tony had created for him on his arm. Then for the first time since they had formed this plan, Tony slid the gauntlet, complete with five of the six stones, into its resting place over his armor. And he was thankful he was in the suit because the sheer electricity that shot through his body caused an agony he had never even imagined and he screamed in shock. The stones tore at him. Ripped at his mind and threatened to tear him apart both physically and mentally. The suit held him together but it was the thought of finally getting Peter back coupled with the look on that bastard's face when he saw Tony with the stones that kept him sane. As those grounding thoughts cleared his mind, the pain numbed slightly, enough to allow him to function as the power was redistributed throughout the suit.

Steve laid his hand his shoulder, forcing him to turn, "Tony, are you alright?"

Of course he had heard through the coms, they all had and he noticed four sets of eyes on him, knowing Rhodey would be circling above, waiting for an answer. Swallowing hard, he replied, nearly snarling, "I'm alright. I'm fine. Focus on them."

The Avengers were arrayed on the battlefield with the full might of Wakanda behind them as Thanos's army dyed the land black across from them. The Mad Titan led his forces, wielding the last of the stones and as the charge began, he met the Avengers head on.

Tony was trying to get used to using the gauntlet but whatever that pain had been to simply wield it became another level of torturous suffering as the stones discharged their abilities. Every time he used it, it forced him refocus, reminding himself that for as much as it physically hurt, the absolutely soul-crushing pain he had been dealing with for two years was still worse. So he kept the gauntlet on and used it as sparingly as he could, he knew they needed to get the soul stone before he would be able to reverse anything. And he had to make sure he still had the strength to wield it when the time came.

Thanos fought hard, even without the stones he was a Titan and stronger than any of them individually. Unfortunately, for him the Avengers were suitably motivated. And Tony tried to ensure that anything Thanos did, he countered it. The Avengers threw themselves into the fray, throwing everything they had into the fight because there would be nothing after this if they failed.

Steve watched as Tony tore into Thanos. All the anger and the hatred that had been slowly simmering under the surface for years was unleashed in a single tide of revenge. He used the gauntlet to block attacks and appear impossibly fast across various parts of the battlefield, throwing up shields and protecting as many as he could. All this while managing to consistently hit Thanos. The Mad Titan was quickly becoming frustrated and his attacks become infinitely more unpredictable and dangerous. They were still landing the blows but he continued to answer back. And his army was unrelenting. Slowly, it was beginning to crush them.

At one point Rhodey went down hard, destroying his flight and relegating War Machine to the ground. Then Clint got pinned and Natasha rushed to help him before Thanos focused on the both of them, closing his hand for a killing blow. But in his distraction, Thor landed the strike they desperately needed. Stormbreaker smacked into the twisted gauntlet, cutting through the deformed metal and loosening the soul stone from its housing.

As the stone dropped, Tony took off after it, using the extra power in the new suit to get to it while the Asgardian was still harrying the Titan with help from Rocket. Steve saw him take off and watched Thanos's attention as it was drawn to Iron Man, followed quickly by a howl of rage. Steve dove in front of where Tony was crouched, blocking a blow the Mad Titan threw as Tony snatched the last stone from the grass. Steve stood between the Titan and Tony, daring Thanos to attack him. The Titan obliged.

As the soul stone dropped into the Iron Gauntlet, Tony felt the power course through him, jarring him down to his bones and nearly driving him to his knees but he could not be done yet, there was still one more thing to do. Finding what little strength he had left, Tony lifted the Gauntlet in front of him, concentrated on exactly what he wanted to do, and snapped his fingers. The effect was nearly instantaneous. The pain that he had been feeling multiplied beyond what he could have ever anticipated, the power that ripped through the suit set off alarms and warnings until it suddenly went silent as everything overloaded. He felt his body lock up as the world around him stopped moving. His eyes slipped shut and when he opened them again the pain was gone, but more than that, it almost felt like it had never happened. Like it had been a horrible dream. As he gauged his surroundings, he happened to catch sight of a small girl standing under an arch of some kind. She was looking at him expectantly, her green skin bright against the hazy, burnt orange backdrop.

The sound of his voice scared him because he did not realize he had even thought about talking, "Who are you?"

The small expectant smirk she had been wearing grew into a full smile, her white teeth even brighter against her face than her skin was against the deep orange but she did not say anything. Just continued to stand there, smile plastered on her face.

Tony tried again, "Where am I?"

She just stood there, staring at him. Tony felt the frustration building in his veins. He did not want to be here. He did not want to see this strange girl. He wanted to get back to the present and find out if what he had done had been worth it.

As if that thought triggered something, she looked at him with that bright smile and asked, "Was it worth it?"

Caught off guard by the clearly relevant question, Tony stuttered out a stupid, "What?" Momently sidetracked from his need to get off this damn…wherever he was.

The smile dropped as she cocked her head to the side, "Was it worth it?"

He could never explain why he knew the implication in the question but he answered yes instantly but more importantly, his mind rushed to bolster his conviction in that answer. He recalled all the pain, the suffering, the agony of his life for the last two years but he knew to the core of his being that if what he had just done had worked, everything he had gone through would be worth it. And in that split second, he knew beyond a doubt that he would have gone through ten times the pain and torment if it meant reversing what had been done. So yah, it was worth it. As all that flashed through his mind, he looked the little girl in the eye, a strange familiarity coursing through him as he simply answered, "Yes."

That brilliant white smile returned as she dipped her head in response before adding a quiet, "Thank you."

The scorched haze suddenly brightened into a blinding gold, as if someone had suddenly thrown the sun into the room, and Tony squeezed his eyes shut against it. When he opened his eyes again, he was on his back in the field just outside Wakanda but his body felt like it would never move again. He was both numb and in sheer agony at the same time. The suit felt dead around him, heavy like for the first time since he had created Iron Man he actually felt the weight of the materials. And they were currently pressing down painfully on his chest. He found himself gasping to breathe as the suit strangled him. Then without warning the nanobots started to fall away. They peeled off in piecemeal fashion, slipping onto the ground around him as dead chunks, finally allowing him to release the breath he had been forced to hold. Then Steve and Rhodey appeared over him. Both looked like they'd been through a grinder. Steve's face is torn and bloody, his suit shredded and his arm clearly broken while War Machine's shoulder and chest armor has been wrenched away from the frame and Rhodey's arm and side were bleeding pretty heavily. As Tony looked up at both of them, he blinked rapidly as he tried to focus on what Rhodey was saying.

"Jesus, Tony. What the hell happened?"

"Wha' d' 'ou mean?" Tony grimaced at the sound of his own voice.

But Steve responded first, a sickened look on his face, "Your arm and chest, Tony."

In response to their shocked expressions, Tony tried to look down but from the position he was laying, he could only see up to his forearm and even that nearly made him vomit. His fingers were black and mangled as if all the power of the gauntlet exited through them and his forearm was not much better, which probably meant that the rest of his arm met the same fate.

"Oh god, wha…" His head started to spin as he contemplated what happened.

Then Steve's hand was on the side of his neck, his voice insistent, "It's alright, Tony. Just take a deep breath."

He tried to listen, to ignore the deepening pain in his arm and chest as he took a shuddering breath, "Chest?" He whispered. He needed to know.

Rhodey shook his head sadly before answering, "Tones, it looks like it fried the nanobots. Whatever those stones did, it shredded the housing."

His eyes darted between his friends, trying to get some understanding of what he actually needed to know, "Did it work?"

Steve and Rhodes shared a grimace before glancing down, deep frowns across their faces.

They did not need to say anything, Tony could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he realized that everything they had done, all the pain they had gone through, it was not enough. He closed his eyes and dropped his head hard into the dirt below him, unable to hold it up any longer.

Then voices started to cut through the battlefield din. The words were muffled and dim to Tony's ears but there was still something there. He heard a quiet, "Steve?" from behind them and listened as both crouched men turned. Tony snapped his eyes open in time to see Rhodes spin back around but Steve was gone.

"It worked! God, Tony, it worked." He shot Tony a smile but his hand never left the man's shoulder.

Tony groaned as his tried to get his good arm underneath himself to sit up but the motion of even moving the arm caused his vision to waver sickeningly. Instead, he held it out to his friend, unwilling to miss anything, "Help me up, Rhodey." He demanded.

The smile faltered as he looked down as his wounded friend, "Tony, I don't know if that's a good idea."

But the man was adamant, grimacing as he threw his hand with even more force into the former Colonel's face, "I need to see, Rhodes, help me up."

Knowing that if he did not help him, Tony would try to get up on his own. Rhodey grabbed his good hand and levered him into a sitting position, but stopped when he cried out in pain. Alarmed at the reaction, Rhodes quickly ordered, "Tony, you need to stay where you are, I can't move you right now."

Tony screamed as Rhodes started to pull him upright and then started to panic when Rhodey refused to help him any farther. Tony looked him in the eye, "James, please. I _need_ to get up. I can do this I promise, I just need help."

Against his better judgment, Rhodes shifted and stood in front of Tony before taking his good arm and pulling him up, helping him to balance when he stumbled forward, "Tony, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be standing."

"Rhodey, it wasn't really a good idea for me to use the gauntlet either remember? I'm fine." He was not and he knew it.

Rhodes knew he was lying but could not help but believe him anyway. He could hear Tony mumbling to himself and while it was hard to make out, every once and a while he would hear something that sounded like Pete's name. Then he tried to move forward, toward the thickest cluster of people but his leg wobbled so badly, Rhodey was forced to roughly steady him. His voice was a little more insistent and a little more worried this time, "Tony, we need to you get you in to see Shuri."

Rhodes was trying to help Tony limp forward when a quiet voice demanded their attention, "Mr. Stark?"

Tony tried desperately to twist in Rhodes's grasp but really only succeed in kind of looking over his shoulder and catching a glimpse of the kid out of the corner of his eye, "Pete…" His voice was breathy and exhausted but it seemed to do the trick and the kid appeared in front of him. Tony did not even try to fight the tears that started to fall.

They stood staring at each other for a moment before Peter realized that there was nothing Tony could do to come to him so he instinctually closed the gap, tightly wrapping his arms around his mentor.

Tony felt Rhodey slip his other arm off his shoulders, freeing him to wrap it around Peter. When his arm finally landed across his kid's shoulders, he pulled him as close as he could before he started to sob. He tried to put as much weight on his right leg in an effort to keep himself upright because for some reason his left leg was not really working either. Still none of it mattered anymore. They had succeeded, actually succeed. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard Sam's voice and he felt Rhodes move away. Instead, Tony focused on the crying, very alive, kid in his arms.

After what felt like split second but what was actually a few minutes, Tony felt his body start to weaken. His knees could not to hold him up anymore and he found himself leaning more and more against Peter. He could feel his consciousness slipping as strength-sapping pain leeched across his arm and chest.

Peter could feel his mentor sag incrementally into his grasp, his breath becoming more ragged the longer they held each other. Leaning back slightly so he could look him in the eye, he squeaked out a quiet, "Mr. Stark…" but he did not get much farther as the man slowly started to slip to the ground, his eyes gazed and half-closed. Peter panicked and wrapped his arms tighter around him, slowly lowering both of them to the ground but refusing to let go. Laying Mr. Stark down, Peter pulled him against his chest and quickly felt for the pulse point in his neck, fear heightening when he realized it was too fast and erratic. Peter felt panic creeping up, he had just gotten back. Then he looked down at Mr. Stark's arm and chest and he nearly heaved. What the hell could have made a burn pattern like that? How the hell had he not noticed it before? But his mentor's eyes were still open, so Peter laid a hand on the side of his face to get his attention, "Mr. Stark?"

His eyes flickered for a moment before focusing on Peter and a tired smile stretched cheek to cheek, crinkling the tears at the corners of his eyes, "Hey kid." He forced his good arm up and gripped the back of Pete's neck, "Good to see you."

Peter could not help but smile at that, "It's good to see you too, Mr. Stark." He whispered, his hand finding its way into Mr. Stark's grimy hair. But his smile fell when he looked back at his mentor's ruined arm, "What happened?"

Now in a better position to see what had actually happened to his arm and chest, Tony shivered at what he saw but at least the pain had subsided a bit. He forced his eyes open as he looked Peter in the eye, pure, unadulterated honesty shining through, "Had to get you back." He was so tired and Peter was back so it was okay for him to finally sleep. Tony let his eyes slip closed.

Until he heard a panicked voice in the background, it sounded like Pete so he shook himself awake. The kid had tears streaming down his face as he was looking at him with sheer terror in his eyes, "No," he was yelling and patting the side of his face, "No! Mr. Stark, you have to stay awake." Then the tear filled eyes were gone again as his head swiveled, scanning the battlefield. Tony wanted to listen to the kid, he really did but exhaustion is a bitch and without his consent, his eyes drifted closed.

Peter watched Mr. Stark's eyes slip closed again and the panic returned at full force. He found himself alternating between begging the man to wake up and yelling for help. But it took a moment for those around to notice what he was screaming, they were all celebrating the return of their lost loved ones and friends. But soon once they realized it, the rest of the Avengers came running. As they approached, Peter clutched Mr. Stark tightly, trying to hold on for him.

* * *

 **There you have it! My solution for the gauntlet problem. It's probably not as sophisticated as what the amazing people at Marvel came up with but I'm pretty proud of it nonetheless.**

 **I'm so sorry for the cliff hanger and I will definitely get onto the next chapter as soon as I can!**

 **So for anyone still reading, the more I thought about the issue of the gauntlet, it made sense to me that Tony wields it because I got to rewatch Infinity War finally and Thanos kept talking about will. He kept insinuating you needed to have the will to use the weapon and do what needs to be done. I would imagine that watching the kid you loved disintegrate in your arms would be particularly motivating so I started to think about the stones from that angle and realized that maybe Tony could control it. And then the Strange quote came back to me and I realized Tony needed to be integral to the solution, so this worked. Plus I _really_ liked the parallelism of one adoptive father destroying his daughter for one end and another fighting with everything he had to bring back his son. Also I really think that Cap will probably die (as much as I don't want that to happen) but I could not find a good way to work that in here so he's gonna make it (at least in my head). **

**Well I think that's all the drabble I have for you today, if you read that far, if not I totally get it!**

 **I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night!**

 **-Lily**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the final chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and keeping up with the story, I really appreciate it and I hope that you find the ending a satisfying conclusion to this little story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Peter felt trapped. Only this was not because someone had dropped a building on his head. He watched with tears in his eyes as the might of the Avengers formed a circle around himself and Mr. Stark but for a moment, they just stood there as if they were too stunned to move. As soon as he saw the human wall, all he wanted to do was run. He wanted to pick up Mr. Stark and take off toward whatever that city was behind them but he did not know where to go. He needed to know where to go before he just ran blindly in. Why were they not doing anything? He needed help. And then Captain America took a step toward them, it caught his attention and he looked up, begging, "Help me, please." His voice was quiet, so unlike the confidence he normally felt as Spider-Man but even though he had the suit on, he could not be Spider-Man. In this moment, Spider-Man bled into Peter Parker and he was just a kid who desperately needed someone's help.

Steve knew Tony could not have been doing alright after what he had witnessed, he was not even sure Thor would have been able to take the amount of damage that gauntlet had done but he still stepped away from him when Bucky called his name. It was selfish and stupid and yet he had done it. Now he was looking at the kid that had made the entire endeavor possible. He was young, like Tony said, but the way he was crying and holding a battered Iron Man in his arms made him look even younger. But Steve could not move, eyes glued to the image before him. Then the kid, Peter, he reminded himself, begged for help and for whatever reason that snapped everything into place. He knelt down next to the pair, holding his arms out, "We'll get him help. Come on, kid, let me have him."

But Peter did not relent and instead stood easily, cradling Mr. Stark in his arms, only wincing slightly. Ignoring the Captain's orders, he forced himself to meet Captain America's eyes, "Show me, please."

Steve gestured up at the city, "We'll take him into Wakanda, the king's sister, she'll be able to help him." It was a lie and Steve knew it, he could not promise that but he could not take the weight of the misery in the kid's eyes.

Then Dr. Strange stepped up carefully into the circle, "Peter," he started, a level of familiarity in his tone, "Will you allow me to help?"

Peter regarded him for a moment, knowing exactly what he could do but he did not trust himself to talk, so instead he nodded quickly. Then only a few second later, a portal appeared before him, a lab of some kind obvious in the background. Peter took a deep breath and stepped through, still clutching Mr. Stark in his arms.

As soon as the kid was through, Strange looked back at some of the other Avengers, "Captain America, I believe you and King T'Challa should go with him."

Surprised that this – wizard? Sorcerer? – knew his name, Steve was struck dumb for a moment before realizing what he said and stepping through the glowing circle of orange, followed closely by T'Challa. As they appeared in Shuri's lab, the doorway closed behind them and they were left looking at a still sniffling Peter as he laid Tony on the bed Shuri had directed him to. They watched the two teenagers and soon as he was down, Shuri started scanning and Peter stepped back.

The room was silent as Shuri got to work.

* * *

Peter curled with his back into Mr. Stark's side careful to avoid any of his injuries but desperately needing the comfort that came with proximity. His arms were wrapped around his knees and he tried to pull them closer as he shivered unconsciously, tucking closer into his mentor's side. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel the pain of the molecules of his body drifting apart as his powers tried desperately to hold him together. But that pain had not been as bad as being pieced back together. His healing had tried to help speed up the process but all it did was piece the molecules back together wrong and then they broke apart again as they rearranged themselves. And for some reason, it still hurt if he moved the wrong way. Peter shivered again as he released he actually understood what happened, he wished to god he didn't. Still, it helped lying next to Mr. Stark so he curled up a little tighter and tried to relax at least a bit.

That was how Captain America found him. The kid who looked impossibly young to be such a strong hero was dozing, the soft breaths and quiet heart rate monitor pulsing beside the bed the only sounds in the room. Still, Steve wanted to sit with Tony for a bit but could not handle the thought of scaring the kid. Stepping carefully into the room, he called out quiety, "Peter?"

The kid slowly, almost lazily opened his eyes. It was exaggerated when he slowly blinked them a few times, trying to collect himself. His spidey sense had told him someone was there but it took time to clear his vision. Then he realized who was talking and threw himself upright in the bed, "Mr. Captain America, sir." He blurted out every respectful name he could come up with.

Steve chuckled at the surprise on the kid's face, "You can call me Steve." Then his tone turned solemn, "How's he doing?"

Peter shrugged his shoulders as tears sprung to his eyes, "Shuri doesn't know. She said that she's never seen anything like this before but that as far as she can tell, he's stable." He did not feel nearly as confident in what she had said as he wished he was, "She doesn't know when he'll wake up." He could not even bring himself to think about 'if'. Then he looked over at Mr. Stark's wrecked arm, he still did not know what happened. Looking over at the Captain, he asked, "What happened to his arm?" He figured if anyone would know, it would be someone who was there.

Steve glanced over at the mangled limb. He was still surprised Tony had survived as long as he had and that gave him a little more confidence, "She didn't tell you?"

Peter just shook his head, he had meant to ask but everything had happened so fast and his mind was still a little fuzzy from the whole being pieced back together thing. He had just forgotten. And that realization made him feel incredibly guilty. How could he have forgotten to ask something so obvious about Mr. Stark's injuries? Still, he was not able to contemplate that for much longer as Captain America's voice dragged him back out of his head.

The Captain's voice was gentle when he answered, "He used the gauntlet to channel the stones. Thanos had similar wounds on the arm he had worn the gauntlet on, although his were not nearly as bad." Steve's voice trailed away as he contemplated the stupidity of his friend.

Peter felt the fear return again, only this time it escaped as anger, "Why would he do that? There had to be another way." He was furious and terrified and he just wanted Mr. Stark to wake up, "Someone else had to have been able to use it. There are literal gods who are Avengers, why couldn't they have used it? Or why didn't anyone put the stones in their weapon? Or why didn't you just destroy the stones? Or…or…"

"Peter," Steve started quietly, waiting for the kid to swallow back his rambling thoughts so he could tell him why Tony had done it. It took him a few seconds to look up at Steve but he eventually did, a look of pain and anguish playing across his face. Steve swallowed hard before he continued, "He did it for you. He won't allow anyone else to do it and the fact that he's still alive means he figured out something no one else could. But he did it to bring you back."

Peter looked at him with something akin to disbelief on his face. Why would Mr. Stark risk everything for him? Surely Captain America was exaggerating, trying to make him feel better. That had to be it. Right? Unfortunately, it really did not make him feel better. In fact, the thought that anyone would risk as much as Mr. Stark had for him made him feel sick. He needed to change the subject, quickly, "Wh-what happened to Thanos?"

"He's dead." Steve snapped. He did not particularly want to talk about it.

But Peter needed to know for sure, the last time…the last time…he shuddered as he asked, "Are you sure? How?"

Steve was not nearly as defiant when the kid asked in such a quiet, unsure voice. He needed closure, so Steve sighed softly and looked him in the eye, "Peter, he – he's – dammit, kid, Tony killed him." He could not place his finger on why that was so hard to say. It is not like Tony had not killed before but for some reason, saying that to this kid felt wrong.

"He did?"

Steve did not miss the way Peter reached a hand behind his back and grabbed ahold of Tony's good hand, but the old soldier continued, "Yah he did. And trust me, Tony wanted him dead. He's not coming back." But he did not elaborate on the second question. Tony had killed him alright, had done exactly what he had said he was going to do when he volunteered to take the gauntlet.

But Peter was persistent, he needed to know, "How?"

 _God this kid did not let up_ , Steve chewed on his thoughts for a minute, trying to filter out what he wanted to say. Eventually, he landed on something, "Tony used the gauntlet on him. Thanos took the brunt of six infinity stones and without something to harness them with, it killed him." Steve refused to go into detail, was not even sure he understood everything he had witnessed. Still the images snapped into his mind. Thanos had died screaming. Steve remembered the lull in the battle as the hulking Titan was wrenched up into the sky above the battlefield, in complete view of those fighting. Only then did the screaming start as he slowly started to disintegrate as each molecule was pulled away from him, slowly. At one point he put his hands to his head as if he was trying to block something out but it went unheard to the rest of them. Both armies stood in enraptured silence as the Mad Titan met the same fate as those he had sought to erase. It had been a surreal image, even given everything they had seen. Eventually, there was a bright flash of light that winked out of existence nearly as quickly as it appeared and the Titan was no more. His armies had fought on but they were demoralized, quickly cut down by the Wakandan army. Steve shivered at the memory and tried to force himself back into the present.

The kid was sitting there silently, the hand clutching Tony's still behind his back but he did not say anything. Steve was worried what he had said had been wrong but if it was, the kid did not show it. Instead he just tucked his knees up to his chest, wrapped his free arm around them, and laid his head on his arm.

They sat in silence for a bit, listening to the soft sounds in the room before Peter realized something. Speaking softly enough to disturb the silence but not loud enough to break the peace, he asked, "How do you know my name, sir?"

Steve was caught off-guard by the question, unsure of what he was going to say, he settled on asking the kid to repeat himself, "What?"

"My name, how do you know my name?" The kid did not look mad but confused. Peter had never actually met Captain America before, at least he was pretty sure he had not, that seemed like something he would not forget.

The memory flashed in Steve's mind, "Tony told me."

And just like that, Peter felt a weird course of betrayal shoot through him. Mr. Stark knew that he did not want anyone to know who he was but he had told Captain America? Why would he do that? They were not even talking the last he knew. The reaction made him feel so childish.

Steve saw the strange look that crossed the kid's face before he realized what he had said. Tony had told him that Peter had not wanted anyone to know about his identity. Well damn, he probably should have let Tony be the one to tell him that everyone now knew. He scrambled to explain, "He didn't mean to say anything, Peter, I promise. He was upset when he got back to Earth and we were not doing anything but arguing about what to do next. He just – he was furious and he wanted us to understand what he had lost. He said your name because he was grieving, not because he was trying to betray you. He wanted us to know who you were."

That made sense, kind of. Mr. Stark cared about him, of course, but grieving for him? Being so angry that he used the gauntlet? So angry that he killed Thanos? It immediately struck him that it seemed like too much for Mr. Stark to do for him. All that shot through his head so quickly that it only came out as a stuttered, "Why?"

Steve looked at him dumbfounded for a moment, surely Tony had told the kid what he meant to him. Then he stopped himself, of course he had not, this was Tony Stark. He was even more maladjusted than Bucky, and he had his brain scrambled by the Soviets. Sighing heavily, he looked the kid in the eye, "He never told you, did he?"

That made Peter nervous, "Told me what?"

Steve held the kid's gaze and tried to get him to understand, "Tony cares more about you than he's apparently ever said. You need to ask him about it when he wakes up but for now you need to know that he was a mess for the two years you were gone. I have never seen him so upset. He was angry. He was frustrated. And he had been planning revenge since the moment he got back to Earth. And Thanos took the full force of that anger."

Revelation given, the room lapse back into silence as the oldest Avenger and the newest Avenger sat beside the man who just saved the world, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Tony was floating.

There was a weird pressure on his right hand and a throbbing burn down his left side but it did not stop his body from floating on its own accord. Then he heard it, the shout that would forever freeze his blood.

"Stark!" The booming voice of Thanos carried over the serenity of the orange-red world he was in and he was instantly transported above the battle field. Quickly, everything returned, slamming into him.

He would be lying to anyone if he as Thanos's booming voice did not scare him. He had been petrified to make his move as the stone settled into the gauntlet, he was terrified of what would happen if none of this worked. Still he had conjured those horrible images in his mind and closed the glove. It was only now that he was trapped in this odd limbo that he was able to remember it. He had been so focused on his revenge, so focused on rewriting the wrongs Thanos had done, that he had not even given his own brutality a second thought. The entire event had only taken a few heartbeats. As he floated in this orange-red world his mind was assaulted by the images he missed. He watched himself on the battlefield, saw the pure hatred in his own eyes as he closed the gauntlet around his hands. Felt the power and pain course through him before a satisfied smirk curled on his lips. And then as soon as Thanos let out a scream, he knew his revenge was satiated. It was a split second later when he snapped his fingers. But this time, instead of meeting the little girl, he watched the entire event play out before him. He watched the Titan scream and squirm as his life floated away in extended agony. And as much as he wanted to cringe at how sick he actually was, he could not help the pleasure felt at watching the genocidal Titan get what he deserved.

And just like that Thanos was gone and he went back to floating in silence.

* * *

Peter was trying to sleep through the latest bout of images of his own death and the fears that Mr. Stark would not wake up, when he felt the hand clutched in his start to shift. Peter's eyes popped open and he bent his arm under him so he could sit up, "Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark can you hear me?"

The fingers twitched again and this time the man started to groan, his eyes moving beneath the eyelids. Peter took that as a good sign and squeezed his hand back, encouraging him to wake, "Come on Mr. Stark. There is no way you would ever let me sleep this late."

That voice, Tony knew he recognized it, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he absolutely had to listen to it. So he fought against his own want to just fall back to sleep and clawed his way to the surface. He squinted one eye open, but there was nothing there which was weird because he knew he needed to listen. Something reminded him that he had another eye, so he winked that one open too. And that was when he saw the source of the annoyance. His kid was sitting next to him, anxiously bouncing on the side of the bed. He felt a soft smile creep to his lips as he tried his voice, "Hey Pete."

Mr. Stark's barely audible greeting sounded like a shout to Peter, he had been waiting nearly a week to hear it, "Hi Mr. Stark." It was in that moment that he felt unsure of himself. He wanted to hug his mentor, to make sure he was actually alright but something held him back. Mr. Stark was not really someone who liked to be touched, had told him that on multiple occasions in fact and now that he was actually coherent, it seemed like the hug on the battlefield was more of a fluke than a trend. Thankfully, Mr. Stark cleared it up for him.

Tony watched Peter watch him. The kid had initially leaned forward, like he was going to hug him and then something stopped him. Realizing that he did not particularly care, Tony pulled his hand gently from Peter's and quickly pressed himself higher in the bed before reaching out and tugging the kid toward him. Peter immediately slid forward, reversing his retreat and collapsing slowly into his mentor's side, his head resting on his shoulder and his arm resting carefully on his chest. Tony tugged him close, infinitely thankful he was alive.

"Thought we weren't there yet, Mr. Stark?" The comment was ridiculous, especially given the fact that the boy was, and had been, curled into his side.

Tony could not help but smirk at the kid's comment. They were definitely beyond that, "Kid, I just took on a Titan to get you back, I think we're there."

That reminded Peter that wanted to be angry at Mr. Stark. He wanted to be mad at him for putting himself in that situation but as soon as he summoned the anger, it was gone. Still the curiosity was there, he needed to know why, "Why did you do that, Mr. Stark? He could of killed you. The gauntlet almost did." There was a tinge of anger in his tone but he knew it would dissipate the moment Mr. Stark challenged him on it.

Something in him knew this conversation was coming and while he would have preferred it be another time, he knew they would need to talk about it eventually, so he sucked it up and tried to explain, "I had to Pete." Tony did not know how else to answer that question because that was the only truth.

"No you didn't," Peter whispered into his mentor's shoulder, "You didn't need to risk anything for me."

"Yes, I did." Tony insisted, gearing up for what he assumed was going to be a childish argument, until the kid caught him off guard.

"Why?" Peter's voice was tentative, like he was asking for an answer he had no right to know.

His voice was small and somewhat muffled but Tony caught it. Felt the way the short breath puffed against his neck. And he would be lying if he said the question did not make him anxious, did not make his chest tighten with the implications. He needed more time to come up with an actual answer so he just…did not say anything.

Peter filled in the gap, lifting his head away from Tony's shoulder, "It's just, Captain America told me that I needed to ask you why you did it and I couldn't ask you for a long time, so I just…I just wanted to ask." Then he slowly started to scoot away, mumbling, "I'm sorry."

Tony was instantly taken back to Titan. Back to the worst moment in his life when the last thing the kid said to him was that he was sorry and Tony in his infinite wisdom said nothing. Not just something lacking substance but literally nothing as his kid disintegrated. And so the touch of anger in his voice was completely subconscious, "Peter, do not ever apologize to me for anything ever again." He looked down as the kid flinched back farther at his tone, "Look Pete, I'm sorry, I just…I'm not very good at this." Thankfully, that stopped the kid from moving, and Tony took a breath, "But I'll try." He closed his eyes and forced himself to focus, forced the slowly building pain to the back of his mind, "I did it because I had too, I realize that's not the answer you want but it's the truth. I had to get you back and the gauntlet was the best way to do that. I did what I had to do and that's it."

"But why?" Peter's voice was strangled as he tried to understand why he was so important.

Tony sighed, he knew this would make things weird, that the kid would probably think that he was trying to replace…someone or think that he was some kind of weird old man but at the same time, Pete deserved to know. Ultimately, Tony knew he would not have been able to wield the gauntlet otherwise. So dropping his eyes, he whispered the one thing that scared him more than anything else, "Because I love you, Pete."

Peter scooted forward again but did not say anything as he let Mr. Stark continue to talk.

Tony's voice was soft, almost ashamed of what he was admitting, "I realize I don't say it, well ever, and even now its kind of weird but its…its true." Tony kicked himself for how bad he was at this, "Pete, you're the closest thing I've ever had to a son and I didn't handle the last two years well." He took a deep breath and explained the connection, "The gauntlet needed a will to control it but the conviction had to be so solidly held that it was beyond any doubt. Only with that would the stones believe you absolutely needed to do the thing you were ordering them to do. For me, it was getting you back." When he finally looked up at Pete, the kid was just staring at him with an expression Tony had no hope of reading. And for the first time since he could remember, he felt embarrassment flush his cheeks but this time there was nothing to backpedal. He had just put everything out there and if he took it back now, he instinctually knew he would ruin everything.

Peter could not believe what he had just heard, had Mr. Stark actually just said that he loved him? It took him a second to process. It was weird definitely but only because it was not a normal interaction. It was weird because it came from a place of brutal honesty without any sarcasm or wit. The more Peter thought about it, the less out of left field it seemed. He knew Mr. Stark cared, even for as generous as he was, multi-million dollar suits for teenagers were beyond even the most philanthropic person. And he knew he loved Mr. Stark. He had not said it either but that was mostly because he did not think the older man would actually want to hear it, the last thing Peter had wanted to do was scare him away. Peter knew he was not a fan of emotional stuff. Then he heard the rest of what Mr. Stark was saying and the embarrassment that showed on his face when he said it. Peter knew he needed to make it right, "Mr. Stark," he started, waiting for the man to look up at him, "Thank you for saving me and…um…I love you, too." Mr. Stark was right, it was a little weird to say but a big part of him felt better now that he had said it.

Tony felt his eyes start to well up as he looked at the kid, but he felt better, like he should have said it a long time before he lost him on that stupid planet. He wanted to say something snarky, something that let the air out of this emotion balloon but he could not think of anything. He would blame the injuries. Instead, he held out his good arm, "Come here, kid."

And without an instance of hesitation, Peter curled back up into his mentor's side, head on his shoulder as he just took in the situation, refusing to let himself analyze it. He just relaxed and for the first time since he had been pieced back together, the pain of that process had dulled.

They stayed that way until they fell asleep, Tony far earlier than Peter but both safe in the knowledge that the other was alive.

* * *

Four Years Later

Peter skipped up the steps to the Avengers' Compound, looking forward to spending most of his summer break training and working in the lab. But before he went down to work, he had someone to see first.

Stepping into the main living room of the compound he saw his target. Setting his bag down quietly, he slid the webshooter out of the pocket and slapped it onto his wrist before climbing up the wall, quietly using the ceiling to get into position. As soon as he was directly above the objective, he released a web and used it to drop upside down, using the elasticity of the web to lower himself slowly behind the persom. As soon as he got about halfway down, he heard the giggling and he, knowing he was caught, tipped his head up to look below him into the blue eyes of Morgan.

The little boy stood up quickly, arms reaching up toward the ceiling and the slowly falling spider, toys and blocks forgotten on the ground. "Peter," he squealed, broad smile on his face.

As soon as the little kid saw him, Peter let go of the webbing and fell into a crouch beside him only to suddenly be attacked by the short two year old arms of Morgan Stark. Peter immediately scooped the kid up and started asking about what he was doing and how he had been. And then the real magic happened because as soon as Morgan started talking, he had Peter's full attention and the older boy did not say another word until the kid gave him a chance or asked him a question.

Tony watched for a moment, shooting off a text to Pepper and telling her to come down to the living room. He knew she was on a conference call but really the investors could wait, Tony still owned the controlling stock in the company so what were they going to do? He watched the two play for a few more minutes before he stepped into the room, "How are my two favorite kiddos doing?" He exclaimed, a smile plastered across his face.

"Daddy," Morgan squealed, "come play with us! Peter is being Spider-Man, come be Iron Man!"

Tony did not miss the look on Peter's face when he held up the Iron Man action figure, the snotty kid was smirking and Tony felt warmth blossom in his stomach as he realized this was his little family now. Limping across the room, Tony was eternally grateful when Peter stood and helped him slowly sit on the ground. For the most part he had healed but his arm and leg still gave him trouble. He wore a brace that augmented his movement but Peter still understood that he needed the help from time to time. Snatching the Iron Man figure out of his oldest son's hand with a smile, Tony looked down at Morgan, "So who are we fighting today?"

The little boy looked up at him with his big blue eyes and whipped a toy out from behind his back, proudly declaring, "Mysterio!" with a smile. Tony's smile faltered as he felt Pete stiffen beside him. Instinctually, he threw his arm around Peter, tugging him into his side and giving his shoulder a squeeze before redirecting his youngest son, "What about the Silver Surfer instead, buddy?"

Morgan looked between Tony and Peter, and with an intuition beyond his years (which Tony swore he got from Pepper), he shrugged his shoulders and dug around looking for the little silver man in his massive box of toys. Finding what he wanted, he tugged it triumphantly out of the toy box, as Tony threw the Mysterio toy onto another table. He could have sworn he had gotten rid of that action figure after Pete fought him but apparently there was another one lurking somewhere in the house, probably one of those damned box sets. He needed to screen those a bit more carefully next time.

The boys set to playing as Pepper came into the room and joined them, Morgan handing her a Black Widow action figure as they took on Silver Surfer. They played until Morgan fell asleep and Pepper carried him back to the room. As soon as he was out for the count, Peter and Tony headed down to the lab for the better part of the night.

After a few hours of working, Peter fell asleep on the table like usual and Tony fondly ruffled his hair before standing him up and dragging the kid as best as he could to his room. When Tony finally got back to his room for the night, he could not help the feeling of contentment that came over him as he drifted off for the night.

* * *

 **Alright well that's the end of this story! I hope you enjoyed it! I also hope you liked the epilogue, I was not sure about writing it but after I did I just could not get over the idea of a mini-Tony and Peter as a big brother.**

 **Let me know what you think and as always have a wonderful day/night and keep being creative!**

 **-Lily**


End file.
